Research Murky On Danger Of Asian Carp Invasion

Related Tags:

HAVANA, Ill. (AP) — Scientists on some of the heartland’s great rivers are turning up ominous signs that Asian carp may be harming other fish, but the dire predictions that the carp would kill off other fish haven’t been realized yet.

Bighead and silver carp have infested the Mississippi River and its tributaries for years. Government agencies have spent more than $150 million on technology to keep them from reaching the Great Lakes, where it’s feared they could starve out other species.

Biologists say that so far, the worst hasn’t yet happened on the Mississippi and Illinois rivers. There have been no extinctions or population crashes among native fish.

But studies have shown that bigmouth buffalo and gizzard shad are getting skinnier. Both are important species that eat the same food as Asian carp.